Blood pressure cases 'to top 1bn'

Last Updated: Thursday, 16 August 2007, 23:16 GMT 00:16 UK
Blood pressure cases 'to top 1bn'

High blood pressure is generally accepted as a reading above 140/80mmHgHigh blood pressure is out of control around the world, with the number of sufferers expected to exceed a billion within 20 years, experts warn.
One in four adults already has the condition, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and death.
But unhealthy modern lifestyles mean the toll could hit 1.56 billion by 2025, up from 972 million in 2000, The Lancet medical journal reports.
The biggest problem is poor compliance with treatment, an editorial claims.
Time bomb
Despite very effective and cost-effective treatments, target blood pressure levels are very rarely reached, even in countries where cost of medication is not an issue, says the editorial.
"Many patients still believe that hypertension is a disease that can be cured, and stop or reduce medication when blood pressure levels fall.
"Physicians need to convey the message that hypertension is the first, and easily measurable, irreversible sign that many organs in the body are under attack.
"Perhaps this message will make people think more carefully about the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle and give preventative measures a real chance," it says.
High blood pressure is a ticking time bomb and should be taken seriously
Professor Gareth Beevers of the Blood Pressure Association
Currently, a person in the Western world has a greater than 90% lifetime risk of developing high blood pressure or hypertension.
But lifestyle factors, such as physical inactivity, a salt-rich diet with high processed and fatty foods, and alcohol and tobacco use, mean the problem is spreading at an alarming rate from developed countries to emerging economies, such as India and China, says The Lancet.
Professor Gareth Beevers of the Blood Pressure Association said: "This shows that high blood pressure is a ticking time bomb and should be taken seriously.
"This is preventable, if people of all ages start looking at their lifestyles and start taking the right action to reduce their risk."
Prevention
Dr Isabel Lee, of The Stroke Association, said: "Every five minutes someone in the UK has a stroke - that's 150,000 every year. Yet, over 40% of these strokes could be prevented by the control of high blood pressure.
"Whilst it is important to get your blood pressure measured regularly, it is equally important that people who are prescribed blood pressure medication continue to take it even once their blood pressure is back under control.
"GPs need to ensure that patients are made fully aware of the importance of continuing with their blood pressure medication."
People can also take additional steps to help improve their lifestyles and reduce their risk of high blood pressure by stopping smoking, having a healthy diet and exercising regularly, she said.
A British Heart Foundation spokeswoman said high blood pressure often remained undiagnosed until a person encountered something as serious, and potentially fatal, as a heart attack or stroke.
"That's why it's vital that people know what their blood pressure is and how they can reduce it if it is high.
"Everyone over 40 years of age should talk to their GP or practice nurse about having a full risk assessment for heart and circulatory disease carried out."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6949526.stm

Blood pressure 'link to dementia'

High blood pressure can be a warning of ill health

Blood pressure 'link to dementia'

High blood pressure can be a warning of ill health
Controlling blood pressure from middle-age onwards may dramatically reduce the chances of developing dementia, researchers have said.
Two studies support a link between high blood pressure and dementia risk - with one by an Imperial College London team suggesting treatment could cut this.
This study, by published in the Lancet Neurology journal, found blood pressure drugs reduce dementia by 13%.
The Alzheimer's Society said better control could save 15,000 lives a year.
Only half of people over 65 receive effective treatment, yet we know treatment works
Professor Clive BallardAlzheimer's Society
As many as one in four people has high blood pressure, in many cases undiagnosed or untreated.
The precise reasons why high blood pressure might increase the risk of dementia are not fully understood although many scientists believe that it can starve the brain of bloodflow and the oxygen it carries.
Patients suffering this restricted bloodflow are often described as having "vascular dementia", and account for approximately a quarter of dementia patients.
Other types of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, have no obvious link to bloodflow, but some experts think that blood pressure may still be somehow contributory in some cases.
The Lancet Neurology study looked at a trial of elderly patients with high blood pressure to see if those who were receiving treatment were less likely to develop any form of dementia compared with those left untreated.
Clear benefit
The trial was stopped early after the benefits of treatment in terms of reducing strokes and heart disease were so obvious it became unethical to deny them to everyone.
Although this meant that no benefits in terms of dementia could be found, when these results were combined with other similar studies in different age groups, the incidence of dementia was 13% lower in the treated groups.
Dr Ingmar Skoog, from the Institute of Neurosciences at Sweden's Goteburg University, said that the need to treat high blood pressure, reducing heart attacks and strokes, was clear, even without the additional results on dementia.
Rebecca Wood, from the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said the finding was an "exciting development", which, if repeated, could offer hope to the 700,000 people in the UK with dementia.
Healthy living
The Alzheimer's Society, however, stressed the need to try to prevent the disease.
Its own unpublished research suggested that vascular dementia was six times more likely to develop in people who had high blood pressure in their 40s and 50s.
If "best practice" in blood pressure treatment was applied to the UK population, it said, with every case detected and treated appropriately, this would save 15,000 lives a year.
Professor Clive Ballard, its director of research, said: "Only half of people over 65 receive effective treatment, yet we know treatment works."
The charity's chief executive, Neil Hunt, urged everyone, even those in middle age, to have regular blood pressure and cholesterol checks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7492959.stm